Papa John's just made a healthy change to a key ingredient

Hollis Johnson Papa John's has completed a major transition toward building a cleaner menu.

The pizza chain has completed its transition to poultry raised without antibiotics and fed a vegetarian diet for grilled chicken pizza toppings and chicken poppers, the company told Business Insider. This makes Papa John's the first pizza chain to make such a switch.

Muldoon says that Papa John's focus on what the company calls its "clean label journey" is inspired by a mix of consumer demand and scientific research.

"We're a very consumer-centric company," says Muldoon, with Papa John's drawing from research on consumer trends and discussions with its supply chain. "We're not always just chasing the next shiny object… but we try to be very clear in terms of how we define 'clean label' — what that means to us, and where those lines are."

Next on the list: converting to cage-free eggs and completing the promise to cut 14 "unwanted" additives, including corn syrup, from the menu by the end of the year.

However, at the core of any restaurant chain remains the question of taste, something that Papa John's says will not be compromised by changes. According to Muldoon, Papa John's conducted months of testing, including a side-by-side taste test, to ensure that the new chicken's flavors remained the same.

The chain's commitment to quality is paying off. In June, Papa John's was named the top pizza chain in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), with a score of 82 out of 100. This is the 15th time out of the previous 17 years the chain has earned top marks in the pizza industry in overall customer satisfaction.